Thursday 3rd July

Board 5

..................ME
............... ♠ 5
............... ♥ 10 8 7 5 4 2
............... ♦ K 2
............... ♣ Q 7 6 3
♠ A Q 9 4................. ♠ K J 7
♥ A....................... ♥ 9 6
♦ J 6 3.................... ♦ Q 9 7 5 4
♣ A K 8 5 2............... ♣ J 10 4
.................Adrianne
............... ♠ 10 8 6 3 2
............... ♥ K Q J 3
............... ♦ A 10 8
............... ♣ 9
After two passes Adrianne opened the South hand 1S, West bid 1NT and I bid 2H which is weakish with heart length, to play. East thought passing would not get a good score and bid 2NT, Adrianne bid 3H and West bid 3NT to end the bidding.

I led a heart and West cashed his 7 tricks for two down. However East was right as letting us play in hearts would be a bad score as we make 10 tricks., but we’ll never bid the game, but should I have doubled? I think so.


Board 8: Our bidding went (with no interference) 1D – 1H – 1S – 1NT – 2H – P

..................ME
............... ♠ 9 4 3 2
............... ♥ A K 4
............... ♦ A K 6 3 2
............... ♣ 6
♠ J 10 7................. ♠ K Q 6
♥ Q 3.................... ♥ 10 8 7 6
♦ 10 8 4.................. ♦ J 9
♣ A K 10 7 5............. ♣ Q 9 3 2
.................Adrianne
............... ♠ A 8 5
............... ♥ J 9 5 2
............... ♦ Q 7 5
............... ♣ J 8 4
This is a very difficult contract to devise a good play for. This is what Adrianne did.
West led AC and continued a club which Adrianne ruffed. She now played a diamond to the Queen, ruffed her last club and then two top diamonds, East ruffing the second one. A heart came back to dummy’s Ace and Adrianne led another diamond on which East discarded a club and Adrianne discarded a spade, West wins with QH. West played his last club, East discarded a spade and Adrianne ruffed. Adrianne played Ace and another spade end playing East to make the last two hearts for 9 tricks.

On board 21 I am in the obvious 4H. This contract has an obvious 4 losers but can defenders ever take their tricks?

..................ME
............... ♠ K
............... ♥ K Q 7 6 2
............... ♦ J 10 9
............... ♣ Q J 7 5
♠ 9 7 5 3 2................. ♠ J 10 8 6
♥ 4......................... ♥ A 9 3
♦ A 5 3...................... ♦ K 7 6
♣ K10 6 2....................♣ 9 8 3
................Adrianne
............... ♠ A Q 4
............... ♥ J 10 8 5
............... ♦ Q 8 4 2
............... ♣ A 4

I got the 8C lead and took the Ace. I played a spade to the King and then a small heart to dummy. Well at some point we have all put up an Ace and crashed our partner’s singleton King, West just isn’t going to rise with the Ace, dummy’s Jack wins and two diamonds go on the AQ spades. But sometimes we have to ask ourselves, why did Declarer play a spade to the King before playing a trump? And if partner gives count on the spade perhaps we will have the answer.